Water releases begin in hopes of controlling flood waters headed to Calallen, Labonte Park area (Video)

COASTAL BEND - The depth of water at Lake Corpus Christi jumped nearly two feet in the past 24 hours leading to water releases Thursday morning, Corpus Christi Water Department officials said.

Nueces County officials warn low-lying areas close to the river to prepare for possible flood conditions as water releases from the lake continue through the weekend.

According to weather officials, areas along the Nueces River close to Bluntzer and Calallen will be impacted. The river near Bluntzer is expected to reach 13.1 feet Sunday afternoon, well below the 18 foot flood stage marker.

Labonte Park and parts of Calallen near the river could see minor flood during the weekend. The water depth is expected to reach the flood action level of 6 feet early Saturday.

"The effects of the releases will be seen starting on Saturday morning in the Calallen area," said Brian Butscher, deputy director of water operations, in a news release.

"By addressing the situation early, the hope is to minimize downstream flooding with a controlled approach," he said.

City officials began releasing water from Wesley Seale Dam early Thursday.

The city released water at 700 cubic feet per second Thursday morning. Officials will increase that rate to 3500 cubic feet, or more than 26,000 gallons per second, as the inflow of water increases through the weekend.

At Lake Corpus Christi, water from the Nueces River has boosted one of the water reservoirs for Corpus Christi from 24.9 percent capacity to 59.5 percent capacity on Thursday.

When including Choke Canyon Reservoir, the combined reservoir system is at 42.6 percent.

Restriction on using automated sprinklers only once per week were put in place June 24 in Corpus Christi when the combined reservoir total dropped below 40 percent.

If 40 percent capacity remains for 15 days, the restriction will be lifted as the city moves to a voluntary water discretion program.

Meanwhile, the Nueces River remains above major flood stage in Tilden and Three Rivers. The Nueces River near Three Rivers topped out at 38.95 feet Monday, the 10th highest reading according to the National Weather Service. The waters rose to 36.3 feet at 7:15 p.m. Thursday and are projected to remain above the 35-foot major flood stage until Saturday night.

In Tilden, the Nueces River is at 20.2 feet as of7:30 p.m. Thursday. The river topped out at 23.5 feet, the third highest reading. It is expected to remain above the 19-foot major flood stage until Halloween.